Since he stepped up to the premier class in 2019 with Petronas SRT, Quartararo has been a constant in the battle for the podium for Yamaha, winning races every year through 2020 to 2022 and securing the title in 2021.
But, since the second half of last season, results have started to dwindle for Quartararo as the Yamaha’s lack of competitiveness became more apparent.
After 10 rounds of the 2023 season, Quartararo has scored just two podiums so far, with a third in the Americas Grand Prix and third in the Assen sprint race.
Having led the championship at this stage of the 2022 season, Quartararo is now 11th in the standings and 178 points adrift of runaway leader Francesco Bagnaia.
Since returning from the summer break earlier this month, Quartararo has begun to approach his racing in a different way, shedding hopes of fighting at the front every round.
Admitting he lacked motivation in the first half of the season, Quartararo says his new approach is aimed at bringing back his enjoyment for racing.
Source: Autosport